Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Ethics Institute Wins Cornerstone

The Kennedy Institute for Ethics was awarded the coveted Cornerstone Award by the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities on Oct. 23.

The institute was recognized for its crucial role in advancing bioethics and medical humanities since its inception in 1971.

This honor can only be granted to institutions that have been established for over 30 years and must be awarded solely by the ASBH board of directors. The previous recipient of the Cornerstone Award was the Hastings Center in Garrison, N.Y. The Hastings Center was also granted the award for its work in the field of Bioethics and public policy.

As of today, the Hastings Center and the Kennedy Institute for Ethics are the only two institutions that have been presented with the esteemed Cornerstone Award.

“The recognition from our peers . re-energizes us as we begin planning for our next 40 years,” Kennedy Institute director and associate professor of philosophy Margaret Little said in the press release.

The Kennedy Institute boasts an expansive bioethics library, a highly ranked graduate program and an eminent faculty whose expertise in the field is highly respected. The institute was founded in order to advance both graduate and undergraduate education, to promote research to guide public policy, and to serve as a source of information for bioethics.

One unique aspect of the Kennedy Institute is its quarterly publication of the same name. The Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal further emphasizes the institute’s commitment to open dialogue by serving as a forum for the discussion of pressing issues in bioethics.

Originating from an initial 1.35 million dollar grant in 1971, the Kennedy Institute expanded greatly with the help of additional public, private and government grants. The Kennedy Institute Research Library currently has the largest collection of bioethics resources in the world.

In order to receive the award among her peers, Little traveled to San Diego with Doris Goldstein, director of the institute’s bioethics library, Tom Beauchamp, philosophy professor and a senior scholar at the institute, and Laura Bishop, academic program officer for outreach, library and international initiatives. “It stood out to the committee,” Chris Welber, ASBH executive director, said in the press release. “The Kennedy Institute is recognized as a leading institute within this field, and the board and the award committee felt that this was some long overdue recognition for their effort.”

Ben Burdick (COL ’13) said he considers bioethics a very important field of discussion in today’s modern world. “Georgetown’s recent honor has made me very proud to be a philosophy major,” Burdick said.

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